That’s because we really want him to contribute his best at his last moments. A proud thing that my son has done. A proud thing as a parent. And we really wish the person who have received it will continue to see the road.

Speaking about her son, Madam Yeo recalled the good times they shared together, saying,

He is really a very good boy. He is always very respectful. He will put in effort to help the family whenevrer he can and of course he will try his best as you all can see to achieve whatever task is given to him. One of you actually asked what is the most memorable thing we can remember having been with him. Is the hugs and kisses we always have whenever he comes back and whenever he moves in. And of course to a mother is the way we held hands together when we go shopping – something that we will never forget.

Differing accounts of what happened

While PTE Lee’s family grieves his death, questions remain about the circumstances around his untimely passing.

He was dragged by senior commanders, forcing him to finish the fast march even though he was showing signs of extreme physical exhaustion.

What the Army said: Private (PTE) Lee Han Xuan Dave, 19, a Guardsman from the 1st Battalion Singapore Guards, was found to have displayed signs of heat injury at about 8.35am on 18 Apr 2018. PTE Lee had just completed an 8km fast march in Bedok Camp.

3. Adequate action?

PTE Dave pressed on and made it to the end point, where he received his timing. Then, he collapsed, said the anonymous soldier.

He recalls,

We saw Dave breathing frantically, going through delirium, with his tongue out and only the white in his eyes visible. He was not articulate.

The writer then criticises his commanders for failing to recognise these signs of heat exhaustion, saying,

It was obvious that Dave was going through heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. Yet, they still acted as though it was nothing severe.

(They) did not follow the proper protocol for a soldier in heat exhaustion.

In a literal case of “adding insult to injury”, the writer alleges that the commanders mocked PTE Lee instead of helping him.

He writes,

They were just surrounding him, talking cock and laughing and cracking jokes around him, obviously thinking the soldier is trying to keng.

And when it became clear that PTE Lee was not pretending, the writer says that the commanders failed to act adequately.

He says that they did not remove PTE Lee’s clothes or place ice packs at heat dissipation points on his body:

And the medic was blur, not knowing what to do. The safety officer was nowhere to be found…and commanders left (PTE Lee’s) body under the hot sun instead of bringing it to a shaded area. It took them almost 30 minutes to an hour before they even (stretchered) him away to the medical centre.

What the Army said: An SAF medic attended to PTE Lee immediately to bring down his core temperature. PTE Lee was evacuated to the camp’s Medical Centre where body cooling measures and treatment were continued by the SAF medical team. At 9.50am, PTE Lee arrived at Changi General Hospital (CGH), where he was warded in the Intensive Care Unit since 18 Apr 2018.

MINDEF sets up a Committee of Inquiry

Alas, PTE Lee succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Monday.

News of his death sparked an online furore, with many calling for the commanders to be punished.